Lanthanide-doped upconversion materials: emerging applications for photovoltaics and photocatalysis

Abstract

Photovoltaics and photocatalysis are two significant applications of clean and sustainable solar energy, albeit constrained by their inability to harvest the infrared spectrum of solar radiation. Lanthanide-doped materials are particularly promising in this regard, with tunable absorption in the infrared region and the ability to convert the long-wavelength excitation into shorter-wavelength light output through an upconversion process. In this review, we highlight the emerging applications of lanthanide-doped upconversion materials in the areas of photovoltaics and photocatalysis. We attempt to elucidate the fundamental physical principles that govern the energy conversion by the upconversion materials. In addition, we intend to draw attention to recent technologies in upconversion nanomaterials integrated with photovoltaic and photocatalytic devices. This review also provides a useful guide to materials synthesis and optoelectronic device fabrication based on lanthanide-doped upconversion materials.

Probing the nature of upconversion nanocrystals: instrumentation matters

“…270,271 For a particular UC system, the success of this integrative approach requires in-depth knowledge of lanthanide chemistry as well as the extraordinary ability to extend the techniques of basic characterization to the more complicated cases, while knowing both their limitations and applicability.…”

Intense red emitting monoclinic LaPO4:Eu3+ nanoparticles: host–dopant energy transfer dynamics and photoluminescence properties

“…Lanthanide ion doped inorganic materials have attracted signicant amount of attention in all areas of science and technology because of their interesting physico-chemical properties and potential applications in many new areas such as drug carriers, 1 telecommunication, 2 photovoltaics and photocatalysis, 3 white light application, 4 contrast agents for MRI and uorescence imaging, 5 nanothermometry 6 etc. Inorganic compounds bearing f 0 , f 7 or f 14 lanthanide ions have a negligible chance of undergoing quenching effect through cross relaxation from Ln 3+ ion and hence they are the preferred choice as a host material.…”

An insight into optical spectroscopy of intense green emitting ZnAl2O4:Tb3+ nanoparticles: photo, thermally stimulated luminescence and EPR study

“…Lanthanide ion doped inorganic materials have attracted significant amount of attention in all areas of science and technology because of their interesting physico-chemical properties and potential applications in many new areas of scientific interest such as drug carriers [1], telecommunication [2], photovoltaics and photocatalysis [3], White light application [4], contrast agent for MRI and fluorescence imaging [5], nanothermometry [6] etc. In that context hosts play an important role for getting phosphor materials with high quantum yield.…”